Mother’s horror after finding pill in Smarties box
HALLOWEEN
A MUM says she found a prescription pill inside a box of Smarties given to her children.
Kayleigh Stark said she gave the tablet to doctors, before tests revealed it was Diclofenac – a type of strong antiinflammatory.
The 29-year-old mum-of-two said the box of sweets was given to her children Annabelle, five, and Joel, three, last month while they were trick or treating for Halloween.
Smarties ‘mini’ boxes are not sealed, and open and close with a tab. It is thought the box Kayleigh’s children were given came from a multipack.
Nestle, which manufactures Smarties, and Greater Manchester Police have been informed and are carrying out enquiries.
It is believed the pill was put into the box after it was sold. Nestle isn’t thought to be at fault.
Kayleigh, 29, from Great Moor in Stockport, said she spotted the tablet after she emptied the box of sugarcoated chocolates into a bowl for her son. “It was right at the top,” she said. “I noticed it because it was slightly bigger and wasn’t shiny like the other Smarties.”
Kayleigh said she phoned her husband Chris, 39, and their shock quickly turned to panic when they realised Annabelle had eaten another box of Smarties – also given to the siblings at Halloween.
The youngster appeared to be fine, but Kayleigh was advised by an NHS 111 adviser to take her to A&E to be checked over.
“We just didn’t know if there had been another pill – or what it even was,” Kayleigh added.
“Annabelle was fine, we could see that, but we wanted to be on the safe side.
“We took her to Stepping Hill hospital and they carried out loads of tests blood pressure, temperature, blood sugars, urine samples, heart trace.
“She was quite scared by it all as she didn’t feel poorly. I had to explain to her that she hadn’t done anything wrong, but that there was a naughty pill in her brother’s sweets so we had to check her over. “It was quite overwhelming for her.” Thankfully, Annabelle was quickly given the all clear. Doctors took the pill and identified it as Diclofenac.
Kayleigh says medics told her that if her daughter had taken a similar pill, she could have been left vomiting.
Those kinds of symptoms usually happen within four hours.
Officers met Kayleigh at the hospital and took the pill and Smarties box away. A police investigation was then launched.
A spokesman for Nestle said: “We are aware of this instance and have been speaking with the family involved. We have very strict controls in place to ensure the quality and safety of all of our products.”
A spokesman for GMP said the force was aware of the incident – and that enquiries are ongoing.